The Telnet or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or even the Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) are not mere applications. They play an important part in all commodities trades (http://www.worldtradesource.com/) and other related activities. Traders can now be satisfied that the information that they send and receive is secure and is not being accessed by others. The amazing progress in internet technologies has heralded a major information revolution worldwide.

People can now log on to remote computers connected to the internet using common transfer protocol mechanisms or naming schemes. Telnet is one such mechanism used to create virtual interactive sessions on remote machines to communicate with the hosts. It allows users to logon to remote computers from their personal computer and provides the same service that any user would get if he/she used a modem to dial into their computers.

As soon as the user has connected to the telnet, he/she can access search tools, files and databases right from their personal computer, which could not be done earlier. For Telnet to work properly, computers must have the Telnet software installed. The user must ensure that the Telnet software installed in the computer at the other end as well and the user needs an account on whichever remote computer he/she is accessing or else he will have to make use of the public Telnet sites.

The two main things needed for Telnet to work are:
• The Telnet site's address
• The Login password

Simply put, the user needs to type 'telnet' at the prompt and the site's address to activate the Telnet protocol. Another commonly used transfer protocol is the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). It is used to transfer files/information packets between both non-TCP/IP and TCP/IP networks. It allows users to
• Logon to remote computers
• Access computer directories
Copy files on to their machine